Brighter Work

In this episode, we sit down with Nona Yehia, the visionary architect behind Vertical Harvest—a three-story hydroponic greenhouse built to grow food and opportunity in the unlikeliest of places: Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Nona shares how she turned a bold idea into a blueprint for inclusive, sustainable business—where half the workforce is made up of people with disabilities, and every role is designed around each employee’s unique strengths. You’ll hear the behind-the-scenes story of building a farm in a ski town, rethinking what meaningful employment looks like, and challenging the systems that leave too many people out.

In this episode, we dive into how Toral Gandhi became the first employee at Open Water and helped grow it into a brand now found at Whole Foods, sweetgreen, and the Four Seasons. She shares what it’s like to convince businesses to ditch plastic, how she ended up in sales without ever planning to, and what it’s taken to build a purpose-driven career from the ground up. From early challenges to big wins, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at Toral’s path—and what others can learn from it.

Not knowing what you want to do is a relatively universal experience, but once you’re actually experiencing it—it can feel pretty damn isolating.

That’s why I’m excited to introduce this week's guest, Charlie Clark, and he’s living proof that it’s totally okay, or better yet, even a good thing to spend some time grappling with that question. Because it’s only then that you might unexpectedly come across a career path that you never would’ve thought of, or in his case, even knew existed… Charlie has since figured out what he wants to do, and it’s building strategy for how purpose-driven companies approach giving. Tune in as we explore Cotopaxi’s partner-forward approach, why community-sourced solutions create lasting change, and so much more.

Note: this episode was recorded in November of 2022, since then, Charlie’s title has changed to Director of Giving and Impact.

If you’re a big fan of takeout and delivery but feel guilty about all the waste… we have great news for you. DeliverZero partners with restaurants to offer reusable containers that customers have 3 weeks to return either to a drop-off point or opt for home collection. They’re rapidly expanding, and we sat down with their VP of Strategy, Leah Shoot, to get the inside scoop on how she landed such a cool gig and all things DeliverZero.

SXSW Panel Picker: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/137630
Sign up for DeliverZero’s Newsletter: http://www.deliverzero.com
Upstream’s Reuse Wins Report: http://upstreamsolutions.org/reuse-wins-report

Climate Neutral is on a mission to make it incredibly easy to vote with your dollar. By providing a way for companies to calculate their emissions, guidance for reduction goals, and a final stamp of approval that companies can add at their point of sale—Climate Neutral is streamlining and incentivizing carbon neutrality. Here we chat with Isabella Todaro, who, at the time of this interview, was their Director of Carbon Measurement. She walks us through how companies become Climate Neutral Certified and provides insight into how this movement can sway heavy hitter industries such as steel, cement, and textile.

Climate Neutral has an expansive volunteer program. If you're interested in learning more, tap the link below.

https://climateneutral.notion.site/Looking-to-Get-Involved-with-Climate-Neutral-1330539994644816bef3fe38f517b167

This interview was recorded in December of 2022; in July of 2023, Isabella left Climate Neutral to pursue her MBA at Columbia in New York City.

Sway co-founder Julia Marsh joins us this week to share how she and her team are uncoupling our reliance on petroleum-based plastic by designing the next generation of packaging. And the secret ingredient? Seaweed.
 
While this might sound like science fiction, the concept came about in a regular household kitchen, when Julia had a kernel of an idea and went to work (or play) experimenting.
 
In this episode, discover how Julia went from cooking in her home to raising $2.5 million in pre-seed funding, used her creative background to tackle a global climate issue, and became a leader in bio-innovation playing to the strengths she already had.

MiiR, a generosity driven drinkware company, is making waves in corporate philanthropy due to its highly considered approach that has led to real, tangible change, mainly at the intersection of people + planet. We spoke with their Senior Impact Manager, Devon Richardson, who has a hand in that strategy. Hit the play button to learn how Devon landed such a cool gig, what her day-to-day looks like, and the inside scoop on MiiR’s giving strategy.

Note: At the time was this recording, Devon was MiiR’s Giving & Sustainability Manager; her title has since changed to MiiR’s Senior Impact Manager. She is currently working in a part-time capacity while she pursues her Masters's in Sustainable Business at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

When you think of the jobs on the front lines of social change, “recruiter” may not be top of mind. 

But for Anna Sol Park, being a recruiter at Blueland has allowed her to pursue her passion of advocating for marginalized communities by ensuring that people from these communities, have a seat at the table.

In this episode, we cover Anna’s journey in the world of recruitment, her insider tips on hiring and getting hired, and learn all about Blueland.

In addition to eliminating the need for single-use plastic packaging with their eco-friendly, refillable cleaning and personal care products, Blueland is petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the use of Polyvinyl Alcohol—the plastic film around laundry and dishwasher pods. It’s sneakily advertised to disappear, but in fact, PVA never truly biodegrades. Instead, it ends up in our oceans, food, water, and has also been found in breast milk.

Learn more about the cause and sign Blueland’s petition here: https://www.blueland.com/podsareplastic

You’ve likely seen 1% for the Planet’s logo stamped on grocery products and outdoor gear. That logo is a way for consumers to know that the companies they're buying from are paying their dues back to the planet, and Raghav gets to play a key role in brokering that deal. He and his team pair businesses with like-minded nonprofits and ensure their unions are long-lasting and fulfilling. Join us as we hear how he landed such a cool gig and what it looks like on a day-to-day basis.

Raghav’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raghavbhandari/
Raghav’s vegan blog: https://veganism101.com/

Brighter Work is a soon-to-launch podcast that interviews the team members behind today's most exciting purpose-driven companies and non-profits, such as 1% for the Planet, Blueland, Cotopaxi, MiiR, and more. By asking people in hard-to-reach positions, how they got there and what they do, we aim to shed light on what it means to have a purpose-centered career.